Senator – Mr. Cohen, did you go to Prague to meet with Russians on behalf of Donald Trump or his campaign?
Cohen – No, in fact, I’ve never been to Prague. (Uh oh, strike one.)
Senator – Mr. Cohen, did Mr. Trump instruct you to lie to Congress?
Cohen – No. (Whoops, strike two.)
Senator – Mr. Cohen, did you witness any collusion between Mr. Trump or his campaign and the Russians during the 2016 presidential election?
Cohen – No. (Steeriiiick three! You’re out!)
The above is a paraphrasing of the significant moments of the interminable Michael Cohen testimony before the Senate {Un}Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. Cohen, the Dems’ star witness, formerly the President’s personal attorney, who should know where the bodies are buried, who hates Mr. Trump and has no reason to lie for him and every reason to turn against him, fizzled on national tv. Cohen was to be the Dems’ star witness. So, foiled again.
Those of you who think character should “trump” policy, could take solace in that Cohen did confirm that Mr. Trump has had numerous affairs in the past and authorized a payment to Stormy Daniels to avoid the embarrassment of his liaison with her being made public. But, Cohen was unable to refute Mr. Trump’s previous assertions that he did so out of personal funds, which is not a criminal act as opposed to out of campaign funds, which would be, albeit a minor one. Thus, Cohen confirmed what we already knew. Mr. Trump is not a “nice guy.”
But, so what? Mr. Trump’s personal behavior has been well documented. His supporters voted for him anyway. I maintain it is of no consequence, except to Mrs. Trump. Do I have to remind you, again, that previous presidents, such as FDR, JFK, LBJ and Clinton, among many others, were not exactly paragons of virtue. Plus, their peccadilloes continued while they were president, whereas, to my knowledge Mr. Trump’s have not.
Furthermore, it has been well-documented that such behavior is commonplace among those in positions of power, and I include politicians, entertainers, businessmen, and clergy of both genders. Always has been, and always will be. So, in my opinion, attacking Mr. Trump’s personal character is a dead end for Dems. They would be much better off attacking on the issues, if they can find some.
Instead, Dem leaders, such as Corey Booker, Elijah Cummings, “Chancy,” Kamila Harris, and OAC, among others, have promised to continue their relentless search for impeachable offenses. Perhaps, the Southern District of NY, which, currently, is conducting its own “colonoscopy” of Mr. Trump’s business dealings, will come to their rescue. Perhaps, not.
CONCLUSION
After two years of investigations the “witch hunters” have not turned up anything, demonstrating collusion between Mr. Trump or his campaign and the Russians. And we know, they have tried really, really hard to find something, anything. I believe much of the public is tired of the “dog and pony” show, and now views it as so much “white noise.” We deserve better from our elected officials. How about governing the country?
I have said this before, but it bears repeating. Rather than continuing to tilt, in vain, at the “windmill” of the 2016 election, Dems would be better served to accept they lost, figure out why, and take steps to ensure they don’t repeat the same mistakes in 2020. Otherwise, they will lose again.